Additive manufacturing for the valve industry: "a real innovation with a big impact for the sector"

The term "additive technologies" includes all those operations that add material for the creation of a product. Typical examples of these technologies, in traditional interpretation, are welding and foundry (with its many variants).

Additive technologies can be used to process a wide range of materials. In the recent past, the definition began to distinguish several new technologies capable of achieving "aggregation" of powders (metallic, polymeric or other), parts characterized by complex geometries and obtained in "near net Shape” from the mathematical model defined in CAD systems. Among these, the most similar to the typical "machine tool" productions use electron beams or laser beams to sinter or melt powders of various metals (titanium, aluminum and other) or polymeric materials.

Adaptive technologies allow to disconnect from the classic "design for manufacturing" rules, which are in turn linked to the traditional processes of mechanical technology. From this comes the possibility of

• Shorten the production chain to create functional prototypes or, better, customized products in small or very small series (and / or to work unusual materials);
• Reduce / eliminate assembly phases, giving rise, for example, to complex parts without the need for welding;
• Create very complex geometric features and difficult / impossible to implement with other technologies.
• This highly "manufacturing" connotation distinguishes the additive technologies and the machines / processes associated with the so-called "3D printing", essentially linked to the world of "makers" and including so-called "digital artisans," playful and personal manufacturing applications (domestically or similarly).

While there are plenty of well-known consumer products created with 3D printing, there are more and more industrial products being produced around the world with this technology. In this sense in the valve industry, the use of additive technologies in production of valves is a real innovation with a big impact for the sector.

Additive technologies make possible the manufacture of valve of any design regardless the design complexity. This is extremely important, because allow to avoid manufacturing constraints related to machining, molding, etc.

Production of valves by additive technologies does not need any special tooling neither casting, so the shifting the production to a totally different object is completely easy and immediate. Redesigning stages has no influence in the production costs, consequently, allowing advantages for valves manufacturers specialized in low-to-medium volume production, or active in highly personalized customer market.

Moreover, additive technologies let the opportunity to product development teams to have a rapid iteration between designs, assembly and functional tests, bringing about a remarkable decrease in both time and product development costs.